Hop
Bravo
A high-alpha American bittering hop with a cleaner and fruitier aroma than most of its category.
Bravo was bred for high alpha with a usable aroma, which is the perennial goal of bittering-hop breeding — most high-alpha varieties contribute harshness if used late.
It is a good example of a hop chosen for economics that turned out to be pleasant as well.
Aroma and flavour
Descriptors are impressions rather than analytical results. BeerHQ rates this characterisation as commonly reported.
Belongs to
Analysis
| Alpha acid | 14–17% |
|---|---|
| Purpose | bittering |
| Origin | United States |
| Storage stability | unknown |
How it is used
- Bittering (early boil). Added at or near the start of the boil, where long exposure isomerises alpha acids into bitterness and drives off aroma.
If you like Bravo
Hops with comparable character. Similarity and substitutability are different questions, so each entry says which it is: a hop can smell alike and still change the beer if its alpha acid is far off.
Vic Secret 14–17% alpha
Shares stone fruit, pine and resin with Bravo; an aroma variety at a comparable alpha acid.
Not the same: brings tropical fruit that Bravo does not; lacks the floral of Bravo.
Close enough in both aroma and alpha acid to swap in a recipe.
Zeus 13–17% alpha
Both lead with pine and resin; a bittering variety at a comparable alpha acid.
Not the same: brings herbal and earth and wood that Bravo does not; lacks the floral and stone fruit of Bravo.
Comparable alpha acid, but a different aroma — a bittering substitute rather than a character one.
Topaz 13–18% alpha
Both lead with pine and resin; a dual-purpose variety at a comparable alpha acid.
Not the same: brings tropical fruit and grass that Bravo does not; lacks the floral and stone fruit of Bravo.
Comparable alpha acid, but a different aroma — a bittering substitute rather than a character one.
Warrior 15–17% alpha
Both lead with pine and resin; a bittering variety at a comparable alpha acid.
Not the same: brings citrus and herbal that Bravo does not; lacks the floral and stone fruit of Bravo.
Comparable alpha acid, but a different aroma — a bittering substitute rather than a character one.
Dana 11–16% alpha
Both lead with floral; a bittering variety though it bitters more gently.
Not the same: brings noble spice and herbal that Bravo does not; lacks the stone fruit and pine and resin of Bravo.
Smells alike, but the alpha acid differs enough that a like-for-like swap would change the bitterness.
Straight substitutes
Close enough in both character and alpha acid to swap at a similar weight. Substitution is directional and imperfect — these are the nearest available options, not equivalents.
- Vic Secret — Shares stone fruit, pine and resin with Bravo; an aroma variety at a comparable alpha acid.